Door machine



P. J. HOMAN July 2, 1957 DOOR MACHINE s Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 5, 1956 O T I Z I (904 (We? y 1957 v P. J. HOMAN 2,797,820

' DOOR MACHINE Filed Jan. 5, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 7 Q hy/QM,

July 2, P. J. HOMAN DOOR MACHINE Filed Jan. 5, 1956 l 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

PQUL J. HomqM HTT'OP /EX United States Patent 0 menses noon Mai-cause Paul J. Human, PittshurghPa, assiguor to Koppers Company, Inc, a corporation of Delaware Application January 5, 1956, Serial No. 557,565

4 Qiaims. .(C'l. 212-4) sealing doors of horizontalcokeovens.

As is well known in the coking .art,'-deposits tend to cake along thesealingmembers ofa doorand door frame during the course .of the coking period. These ,deposits are removed by manually scraping the sealing members each time the door is removed from the coking chamberopening. Since it is desirable from a construction standpoint to maintain the machinery for removing .the door in as close proximity as possible to the coke oven and since the cokeoven benches which support such machinery are frequently 0f the high bench type, with littledistancebetween the top of the bench and the lower portionofthe oven-opening, various types of machinery have been designed for withdrawing the :door from sealing .relation with its oven chamber, raising it, and horizontally sluing it around 90 to permit cleaning -.-of the sealing members.

In the past, this machineryhas been complexin-nature, requiring man-y .movirrgparts which have been both expensive and heavy and which have required increased space and additional supporting structure. To move the door in a horizontal.direction,-complex linkage-systems have been designed which have been readily subject-to wear and break-down. iIn addition, complex mechanisms havebeen usedto move the door in a vertical direction'to effect its elevation 'fOIithe aforementioned scraping purposes, the more recentmechanisms including cam :means incorporated in "some manner therewith. Besides being complex, past doormachinery frequently .has given ;rise

to problems -in the proper replacement of :the once-removed door, it being essential that a'rem-oveddoor always bereseatedin the same place on its door frame so as to be flushtherewith. To insure this flush reseating of the door and to obtain proper door sealing, complex, guide structures haveibeenprovided, adding further-weight, and

bulkiness to the door machinery.

The present invention providesidoor machinery'which avoids themany aforementioned disadvantages by-utilizing a readily operable, sturdy, and straightforward;structure of comparatively less weight and size than previously known machinery. The structure of-the present invention includes efficiently operable-retracting meansforthe door carrier member to eifect horizontal movementof a door, and further includes .cam means which, in addition to determining the vertical .movement of the'door during its horizontal movement and acting as .a supporting member for the weight of the door, is so arranged relative'the retracting means as to insure accurate replacement of the door with respect to its door frame.

Furthermore, the structure of thepresent invention provides safety apparatus automatically operable in,the event of power failure during door handling operations.

Various'other features of the present invention 'will become obvious to one skilled in the art upon a reading of the disclosure set forth herein.

More .particularly, the present invention provides a 2,797,820 Patented July 2, 1957 coke oven door operating machine comprising: a carriage movable along a coke oven battery from chamber to chamber to remove and replace coke oven doors from the door frames of the chambers; vertical support means mounted on the carriage, the support means being pivotal about its own longitudinal axis, cam track means fixed to the lower portion of the support means for carrying the weight of the doors while guiding and elevat ing them in their movement to and from their door frames when unseated with respect thereto; a vertically and horizontally movable door carrier means for supporting the doors individually hereon in :vertical position; cam follower means positioned on the lower portion of the door carrier means to be operatively associated with the cam track means; retracting "and replacing means positioned on the vertical support means above the cam track means which is fixed to the lower portion of the support means, the retracting and replacing .means being cooperatively associated with the door carrier means to cause the .door carrier means to move towards and away from the oven chambers in a horizontal direction and in a vertical direction with the cam follower means cooperating with the cam track means; and .power means for the retracting and replacing means.

It is to be understood that various changes can be made in thearrangement, form, and construction of the apparatus disclosed herein without departing from the scope or spirit of the present invention.

Referring to the drawings which disclose one advantageous embodiment of the present invention:

, the coke oven doors (schematically disclosed in section) with which it cooperates;

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the door machinery of Figure ;l on a slightly smaller scale;

Figure 3 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken in a plane passing through the line III-1H1 of Figure 2, disclosing the details of theouterand inner frame membersincorporated in the door carrier means;

Figure 4 is a side elevational view of amodified door machine, structurally ,arrangedtoincorporate a bell crank locking means, thedoor carrier means being in retracted position;

Figure 5 is arear elevational view of the door machine of Figure 4, taken from a plane passing through the line AA of Figure 4.

Referring to Figure 1 of the drawings, a coke oven battery 2 is disclosed schematically, this battery having a plurality of oven chambers 3 (only one of which is disclosed). As is known in the art, each of the oven chambers'has its opposite ends sealed by conventional coke oven doors 4, these doors each being provided with a sealing edge 6 which engages with sealing surface 7 of door jamb frame 8. A latch bar -12 maintains the door in latched position by cooperating withconventional latch hooks (not shown) fixed to door jamb frame 8.

The door handling machine to removeand replace the coke oven doors 4 from jambframes ,8 of chambers 5 broadly comprises carriage 16, vertical support means 18, retracting and replacing means 19, and door carrier means 20.

Carriage 16 disclosed in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings is of a conventional type, having wheels 21 adapted to ride along rails 22 mounted onlthecoke oven 'bench in close proximity to the oven chambers. Fixed to the chassis of carriage 16 is thrust bearing member 23 which can be of Timken roller bearing type. Thrust bearing 23 serves to support the vertical support means 18 for pivotal movement, support means 18 being inthe form of a rectangular frame member 24 (Figure 2), and having pins 26 and 28 integral with andintermediatethe exmember 38 and inner frame member 39.

tremities of the bottom and top sides respectively of the rectangular frame member 24. As can be seen in Figure 1 of the drawings, pin/2.6 rotatably engages in thrust bearing 23 and pin 28 rotatably engages in a bearing member 29 which is supported by vertical swivel support structure 32. This structure 32 is, in turn, fixed to the base of carriage 16. Like the bearing member 23, hearing 29 can also be of Timken roller bearing type. It is to be noted that pin 28 is provided at its upper end with a fluted recess in which nests splined drive shaft 33 of hydromotor 34. Hydromotor 34, which is supported on support structure 32, serves as an eflicient power means for rotating the rectangular frame member 24 through a 90 arc to thus make the door accessible for scraping purposes when it is removed and retracted from its door frame of the oven chamber. As can also be seen in Figures l and 2 of the drawings, fixed to each of the lower vertical sides of the frame member 24 are cam tracks 37, the purposes of which will be described hereinafter.

Door carrier means is comprised of outer frame As can be seen in Figure 3 of the drawings, outer frame member 38 is of a U-shape cross section to receive, for slideable motion relative thereto, the inner frame member 29 which is also U-shaped but which is provided with inturned edges 41. Edges 41 have face plate 43 bolted thereto by means of nut and bolt assemblies 44.

The sides of outer U-shaped frame member 38 are provided at the upper and lower portions with facing apertures 46, through which extend shafts 47. The sides of inner U-shaped frame member 39 are provided correspondingly with slots 48 to accommodate the shafts 47. Each of shafts 47 is provided with four (4) rotatable rollers 49 held in place on the shaft by means of collars 51 which can be fixed to the shaft in one of a number of known ways. Vertically extending and spaced tracks 52 are mounted on the inner side of face plate 43 to engage with two of the guide rollers 49 and vertically extending and spaced tracks 53 are mounted on the inner face of frame member 39 itself to engage with the other two of the four guide rollers 49. With such an arrangement, it is possible for inner frame 39 to move slideably in a vertical and guided direction relative outer frame member 38, the extent of movement of one member with respect to the other being determined by the length of the slots 48 disposed in the sides of inner frame 39 as abovedescribed.

Inner frame member 39 has mounted to the outer face of face plate 43 the brackets 54, 56, these brackets being positioned in spaced relation to each other so as to be at the upper and lower portion respectively of the face plate. Pivotally mounted on each of these brackets 54 and 56 are latch hooks 57. A bracket 58 is also fixed to face plate 43 intermediate brackets 54, 56, this bracket 58 serving to support hydromotor 59. Hydromotor 59, by means of linkage 60 connected between the motor and hooks 57,.serves to pivot the hooks 57 into and out of engagement with the spaced books 61 integral with coke oven doors 4.

It is to be noted further that known mechanical latching means 62 are also carried by the inner frame member 39, these latching means serving to latch and unlatch latch bars 12 on the coke oven doors.

Positioned at the lower end of inner frame member 39 are a pair of cam follower rollers 63, these cam follower rollers being arranged to engage with the cam track means 37 which is fixed to the lower portion of frame member 18 as aforedescribed. From the above description, it can be seen that the weight of the door carrier and door supported thereby is supported, through the cam follower rollers, by this cam track means 37.

It is to be noted also that face plate 43 is provided at its lower portion with spring loaded bumper member 66, which is arranged to abut against thrust plate 67 fixed to door 4 when the door carrier is brought into 4 handling engagement with the door. To move door carrier 20 into such handling engagement with the coke oven doors, the aforementioned retracting and replacing means 19 is provided. This retracting and replacing means 19 comprises pairs of upper and lower spaced apart bell crank arms 68, these bell crank arms each being pivotal intermediate their extremities on the stub shafts 69 fixedly mounted in the vertical sides of the rectangular frame member 24 of support means 18. Frame member 24 also carries cam tracks 37 as aforedescribed. One end of each of the bell crank arms 68 is connected to an end of one of the aforedescribed shafts 47, which pass through the sides of the inner and outer frame members 38 and 39 of the door carrier means 20. The other end of each of the bell crank arms 68 is connected to one of two actuating linkage assemblies 71, which serve to link an upper and lower bell crank arm together. Each linkage assembly 71 is, in turn, also connected to a piston 72 of a power means in the form of hydraulic cylinder 73 fixed to frame member 24 by means of bracket 74 mounted on the frame. It is to be understood that each of the hydraulic cylinders 73, as well as the hydromotors 34 and 59, is provided with inlet and outlet supply lines connected to a reservoir and pump (not shown), having oif and on control valves as is conventional in the art.

Referring to Figures 4 and 5 of the drawings, a modified retracting and replacing apparatus is disclosed wherein only a single, upper bell crank arm 68', positioned intermediate the vertical sides of frame 24, is provided. This arm 68 is fixed intermediate its extremities to a 'through shaft 69 which is mounted for oscillatable movement about its own longitudinal axis by means of the spaced apart bearing members 70 fixed to the sides of the frame 24. One end of the upper arm 68 and one end of each of the lower pair of arms 68 are connected together by a straddle link assembly 71, and the other free end of each of the bell crank arms 68' and 68 are connected, in turn, to the door carrier means 20 by means of links 80. To impart the oscillating movement to shaft 69', one end of each of a pair of spaced apart links 75 is fixed to the shaft 69', the other end of each of the links 75 being connected to each of the aforedescribed pistons 72 of the cylinders 73. Also fixed to shaft 69 at one end thereof for movement therewith and with arm 68' is ratchet wheel 76, this ratchet wheel being engageable by a pawl member 77 pivotally mounted on the frame 24. One end of pawl member 77 is connected to a power means positioned on frame 24 and in the form of hydraulic cylinder 78, the pawl being connected to the cylinder 78 through piston 79 of the cylinder. It is to be noted that piston 79 is adapted to work opposite and against the spring member 81 connected to the same end of the pawl member as the piston 79. When 78 is not actuated, the spring 81 tends to urge pawl member 77 against the ratchet wheel 76, the teeth of wheel 76 being so arranged as to permit the wheel to rotate freely in counterclockwise direction with the pawl riding thereon.

It is to be noted that cylinder 78 is hydraulically linked with cylinders 73 in such a manner that, when pistons 72 of cylinders 73 are actuated to rotate the bell cranks 68' and 68 clockwise for return of the door carrier means, the piston 79 also will be actuated to urge pawl 77 out of engagement with ratchet wheel 76 which is also rotated clockwise, thus permitting this clockwise rotation of the bell crank arms. In the event of power failure, it will be obvious that the pawl 77 will be urged into engagement with ratchet wheel 76 through the action of spring 81 to lock the bell crank arms in fixed position.

In the operation of the invention as disclosed in Figures l-3, to retract a door 4 from its door frame of a coke oven chamber, carriage 16 of the door handling machine is moved along tracks 22 on the platform to that oven chamber of the battery from which the coke is to be pushed, and the latching means 62 are brought into line With the axis of the latch bolts of the latch bars 12.

5 Once the latch-bars are disengaged in aiknown manner, latch hooks *57 are actuated'by hydromotor 59 =into ens gagem'ent with hooks 61 of the coke oven door, and the door'lifted a slightdistance out of seating engagement with its chamber. Hydraulic cylinders 73 'are then actuated to cause the crank arms 68 to rotate counterclockwise about their pivot axes 69, thus causing the outer frame 38 of the door-carrier'means 20 to be retracted toward the vertical support means 18. As outer frame member 38 moves back toward support means 18, it will be obvious that it follows the path followed by ends of the crank arms 68 connected thereto as these crank arm end move counterclockwise. At the same time, the inner frame member 39 carried along with outer member 38 slides in a vertical direction relative the outer frame member 39 by virtue of slots 48 provided in the inner frame member. This is so since, as inner frame member 39 moves toward the support means 18 along with outer member 38, the cam follower rollers 63 attached to the inner frame member 39 ride along cam track 37, causing the inner frame member to move in a vertical direction as well as a horizontal one. Thus, by the means aforedescribed, the coke oven door is caused to be retracted and lifted from the oven with cam follower means 63 cooperating with cam track means 37 mounted on the support means 18 in a manner that insures efficient replacing, including flush reseating when the door is returned to its door frame. It is to be noted that as the coke oven door is caused to move in both such vertical and horizontal directions, the hydromotor 34 can also be actuated to effect a 90 rotation of the door away from alignment with the oven chamber to make it further accessible for scraping purposes. It will 'be obvious that upon reversal of the power means used to actuate the various mechanisms abovedescribed, the movement of the door in its vertical, horizontal, and rotational path will be reversed to replace the door back into precise sealing engagement with its coke oven chamber.

Referring to Figures 4 and 5, it also will be obvious that, in the event of power failure in the modified apparatus of these figures, the locking means of this modified apparatus, which includes the ratchet wheel 76 and pawl member 77, will halt such movement of the door in its return path to prevent damage which might otherwise occur.

With the door handling mechanism abovedescribed, the doors can be removed and replaced from their coke oven chambers in a precise and efficient manner with a minimum of effort and time. Moreover, the mechanism used to effect such an operation is readily maintainable and is comparatively light in weight to reduce substantially the amount of supporting structure for both the bench on which the door handling mechanism travels and the handling mechanism itself.

The invention claimed is:

1. A coke oven door operating machine comprising: a carriage movable along a coke oven battery from chamber to chamber to remove and replace coke oven doors from the door frames of said chambers; vertical support means mounted on said carriage, said support means being pivotal about its own longitudinal axis; cam track means fixed to the lower portion of said support means for carrying the weight of the doors while guiding and elevating the doors in their movement to and from their door frames when unseated with respect thereto; a vertically and horizontally movable door carrier means for supporting said doors individually thereon in vertical position; cam follower means positioned on the lower portion of said door carrier means to be operatively associated with said cam track means; retracting and replacing means positioned on said vertical support means above said cam track means, said retracting and replacing means being cooperatively associated with said door carrier means to cause said door carrier means to move towards and away from the oven in a horizontal direction and in a vertical direc tion with the cam follower means cooperating with said "6 cam track means; and power "means for said retracting and replacing means.

2. A-cokeovendoor operating machine comprising: a carriage movable'along a coke oven battery from chamber to chamber to remove and replace coke oven doors from the d'oorfram'es of said chambers; vertical support means mounted on saidcarriage, said support means being pivotal "about its own longitudinal axisycarn track means fixed to the lower portion of said support means for carrying the weight of the doors while guiding and elevating the doors in their movement to and from their door frames when unseated with respect thereto; a vertically and horizontally movable door carrier means for supporting said doors individually thereon in vertical position, said door carrier means including outer and inner frame members, said inner frame member being slideable relative said outer frame member; cam follower means positioned on the lower portion of said inner frame member of said door carrier means to be operatively associated with said cam track means; and retracting and replacing means positioned on said vertical support means above said cam track means, said retracting and replacing means including a bell crank means pivotally mounted on said vertical support means and being cooperatively associated with said outer frame member of said door carrier means to cause said door carrier means to move towards and away from the oven in a horizontal direction and in a vertical direction with the cam follower means cooperating with said cam track means; and power means for said retracting and replacing means.

3. A coke oven door operating machine comprising: a carriage movable along a coke oven battery from chamber to chamber to remove and replace coke oven doors from the door frames of said chambers; a vertical support means mounted on said carriage, said support means being pivotal about its own longitudinal axis; cam track means fixed to the lower portion of said support means for carrying the weight of the doors while guiding and elevating the doors in their movement to and from their door frames when unseated with respect thereto; a vertically and horizontally movable door carrier means for supporting said doors individually thereon in vertical position; cam follower means positioned on the lower portion of said door carrier means to be operatively associated with said cam track means; and retracting and replacing means positioned on said vertical support means above said cam track means, said retracting and replacing means being cooperatively associated with said door carrier means to cause said door carrier means to move towards and away from the oven in a horizontal direction and in a vertical direction with the cam follower means cooperating with said cam track means; power means for said retracting and replacing means; and locking means cooperative with said power means to lock said retracting and replacing means in the event of failure of said power means.

4. A coke oven door operating machine comprising: a carriage movable along a coke oven battery from chamber to chamber to remove and replace coke oven doors from the door frames of said chambers; vertical support means mounted on said carriage, said support means being pivotal about its own longitudinal axis; cam track means fixed to the lower portion of said support means for carrying the weight of the doors while guiding and elevating the doors in their movement to and from their door frames when unseated with respect thereto; a vertically and horizontally movable door carrier means for supporting said doors individually thereon in vertical position, said door carrier means including outer and inner frame members, said inner frame member being slideable relative said outer frame member; cam follower means positioned on the lower portion of said inner frame member of said door carrier means to be operatively associated with said cam track means; and retracting and replacing means positioned on said support means above .said cam track means, said retracting and replacing'means including a bell crank means pivotally mounted on said vertical support member and being cooperatively associated with said outer frame member of said door carrier means to cause said door carrier means to move towards and away from the oven in a horizontal direction and in a vertical direction with the cam follower means cooperating with said cam track means; a first power means 'for said retracting and replacing means; and locking means including a spring urged pawl and ratchet wheel cooperative with said bell crank means to lock said bell crank means in the event of power failure; and a second power means cooperative with said locking means and said first power means to prevent such locking during normal operations.

No references cited. 

